Narrative:

Flight between ewr-tpa. Load planner called to say they wanted an amd for added MEL xx. I looked up the MEL and found that an accuload code was needed in the cswt screen. After putting the code in, I found that I was overweight when compared to my flight plan. Load planner said the actual payload was less than on the flight plan. I put load planner on hold and called over to maintenance control to find out if this placard had been added, because no one from maintenance called me about it. Maintenance said they went through the person in the ewr control center and they passed it along to the crew. But that they did not need to add a placard on this item because the flight had already left the gate. Maintenance control person said that they could go ahead and leave with this placard, but that they had to show a code on it. By the time I got this information from the load planner, the flight was already out and off. I told the load planner that I could not add a placard on this item if maintenance hadn't, and especially since the flight was already off the ground. I sent a message to the crew via commercial radio, and had them pass along to crew to call me when they get on the ground in tpa. I asked maintenance who they talked to in control center in ewr, but he couldn't remember who it was. After flight arrived in tpa, captain called. I told him what happened with the problem and confusion of this MEL. I asked him who he got his information from as far as given approval to leave with this problem. He said the guy that read him his new numbers told him dispatch said it was ok to go. I told him that I didn't even know about the problem until after his ACARS showed that he had already left the ground.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A DISPATCHER RPTS THAT A FLT DEPARTED WHILE HE WAS ATTEMPTING TO CHANGE ITS RELEASE TO CONFORM TO AN AMENDMENT TO AN MEL AND WHILE HE WAS ALSO DISCUSSING A POSSIBLE OVER GROSS WT SIT.

Narrative: FLT BTWN EWR-TPA. LOAD PLANNER CALLED TO SAY THEY WANTED AN AMD FOR ADDED MEL XX. I LOOKED UP THE MEL AND FOUND THAT AN ACCULOAD CODE WAS NEEDED IN THE CSWT SCREEN. AFTER PUTTING THE CODE IN, I FOUND THAT I WAS OVERWT WHEN COMPARED TO MY FLT PLAN. LOAD PLANNER SAID THE ACTUAL PAYLOAD WAS LESS THAN ON THE FLT PLAN. I PUT LOAD PLANNER ON HOLD AND CALLED OVER TO MAINT CTL TO FIND OUT IF THIS PLACARD HAD BEEN ADDED, BECAUSE NO ONE FROM MAINT CALLED ME ABOUT IT. MAINT SAID THEY WENT THROUGH THE PERSON IN THE EWR CTL CTR AND THEY PASSED IT ALONG TO THE CREW. BUT THAT THEY DID NOT NEED TO ADD A PLACARD ON THIS ITEM BECAUSE THE FLT HAD ALREADY LEFT THE GATE. MAINT CTL PERSON SAID THAT THEY COULD GO AHEAD AND LEAVE WITH THIS PLACARD, BUT THAT THEY HAD TO SHOW A CODE ON IT. BY THE TIME I GOT THIS INFO FROM THE LOAD PLANNER, THE FLT WAS ALREADY OUT AND OFF. I TOLD THE LOAD PLANNER THAT I COULD NOT ADD A PLACARD ON THIS ITEM IF MAINT HADN'T, AND ESPECIALLY SINCE THE FLT WAS ALREADY OFF THE GND. I SENT A MESSAGE TO THE CREW VIA COMMERCIAL RADIO, AND HAD THEM PASS ALONG TO CREW TO CALL ME WHEN THEY GET ON THE GND IN TPA. I ASKED MAINT WHO THEY TALKED TO IN CTL CTR IN EWR, BUT HE COULDN'T REMEMBER WHO IT WAS. AFTER FLT ARRIVED IN TPA, CAPT CALLED. I TOLD HIM WHAT HAPPENED WITH THE PROB AND CONFUSION OF THIS MEL. I ASKED HIM WHO HE GOT HIS INFO FROM AS FAR AS GIVEN APPROVAL TO LEAVE WITH THIS PROB. HE SAID THE GUY THAT READ HIM HIS NEW NUMBERS TOLD HIM DISPATCH SAID IT WAS OK TO GO. I TOLD HIM THAT I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW ABOUT THE PROB UNTIL AFTER HIS ACARS SHOWED THAT HE HAD ALREADY LEFT THE GND.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.